Smile For Me
by Margaret Delancy
Summary: Something has been bothering Lucas all week and Ness is determined to find out what it is. But will he be satisfied with the answer he recieves? NessxLucas Earthbound/Mother 3 spoilers.


Here's my first NessxLucas fanfiction! I'm way too obsessed with this paring… xD But they're so darn cute! Contains Mother 3 spoilers, and maybe Earthbound ones as well.

I don't own any of the characters/games mentioned!

Smile For Me

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set by the time Ness made it back to his and Lucas' shared dorm. He was just returning from a one-on-one brawl against Snake, and before that he'd had a team battle with Pikachu versus Ike and Pit. Needless to say, Ness was definitely looking forward to being coddled by his younger and ever so slightly more feminine roommate, as was sure to happen whenever he knew Ness was returning from a series of brawls.

The remaining sunlight was probably enough to see by, but Ness flicked on the overhead lights next to the door upon entering anyway. Glancing around the room, he wondered why Lucas wasn't present, until he noticed the lump curled up on his bed.

"Lucas? Are you alright?" Ness' voice started Lucas out of his thoughts, and he turned around wide-eyed.

"Ness!" Lucas exclaimed. "I-I didn't think you'd be home so soon!" He sat up, sliding off the edge of the bed, and set about fixing Ness' now disheveled bed, cheeks pink.

"Soon? When was the last time you looked at a clock? It's already six," Lucas paused for a moment, Ness' pillow clutched to his chest, before returning to his task.

"Is it really? I guess I lost track of time," He responded, refusing to meet Ness' eyes. Lucas had been doing a lot of that lately, Ness noted. Losing track of time, staring off into space while everyone around him was having fun… more so than usual, that was. "When I got back from my last brawl I was so tired I couldn't even make it back to my own bed. I-I'm sorry!"

"Hey, don't worry about it," He said, noticing Lucas' worried stare. Although his excuse was thin Ness gave him the benefit of the doubt, being a newcomer this year and all. Ness himself was a two-time veteran—one of the original twelve—but he could still remember what it felt like to walk through those doors for the first time. To be on the same level as great heroes like Mario and Link was terrifying at first, and it must have been ten times worse for someone like Lucas.

"Oh, Ness, you've been brawling all day, haven't you?" Lucas asked, now sitting on his own bed. The older psychic nodded, flopping back onto his mattress with a sigh. "Should we go get something to eat, then? I've been waiting for you to get back."

"Let's just hang out here a few minutes; Snake went really rough on me today," Ness tilted his head back, looking at Lucas upside down from where he was on the bed. The curtains were drawn wide, and the swiftly fading sunlight illuminated Lucas' thin frame nicely. Although it did nothing to soften his concerned expression, and Ness distantly thought that he'd have to fix that himself.

"Do you want me to bring you something up? I-I just thought that we could go together, but if you aren't feeling up to it—"

"Nah, I want to go with you, but Lucas…" He flipped onto his stomach, looking at Lucas intently. "What's wrong? You've been kinda… distant lately."

Lucas instantly froze. "…Have I? I've just been a little distracted recently is all, but I'm fine." He smiled, trying his best to convince Ness that everything was okay.

"Well… if you're sure. Let's go see what's for dinner."

"Okay!"

As they walked side-by-side down the hall, Ness tried his hardest to pick up on Lucas' mood. Being psychic one would assume this would be an easy task, but when it came to Lucas something about their shared psychic powers cancelled out the ability and made it impossible for Ness to delve into his friend's mind.

Lucas was always so caring, ready to help anyone who needed it, and was always there to listen; but when it came to his own needs he was as tight-lipped as ever. The thought irritated him slightly, and by the time they made it to the dining hall Ness had managed to ruin his mood.

The hall was, for once, decorated quite nicely. Colorful tablecloths adorned the round tables set up all around the room, and vases of flowers sat upon each of them. In the corners of the room tall vases were situated, overflowing with beautiful sunflowers. Peach stood next to the double doors, shouting at any of the smashers who looked like they might start roughhousing and ruining all of her hard work.

"Hey, you guys!" Popo called to the pair as they entered. Ness dragged Lucas through the mass of smashers to their usual table where Nana, Popo, and Toon Link were sitting. "Any idea why Peach went crazy tonight?" Popo asked as they took the two remaining chairs at the table.

"Maybe it's someone's birthday?" Nana asked, placing a hand on her chin in thought.

"Hmm… I don't think so. Wouldn't we have known before now?" Toon Link chimed in.

"Yeah, I dunno," Ness said thoughtfully. He turned to Lucas to see whether he knew what was up, but the younger boy was gazing pensively at the sunflowers in the corner of the room.

"So let's go get some food now that everyone's here!" Nana said cheerfully, dragging her brother from his chair to get in the long line of smashers. The other three quickly followed suit, and except for a little run-in with a particularly… gassy Wario, they all managed to make it back to the table intact.

"Meatloaf? Who even likes this stuff?" Toon Link asked, picking at the offending food on his plate. They were nearly last in line, and since it was first come, first serve, they were stuck with the leftovers that nobody wanted. Nobody except Kirby, of course, but he was told to wait until everyone else had eaten their share before he was allowed to inhale the remaining dishes.

"Oh, shut up and eat your food, Toon Link," Nana scolded him. Before Toon Link could respond—and effectively start a fight—Peach approached their table.

"Lucas?" For the second time that day Lucas was startled out of his thoughts, and he looked nervously into the eyes of the Mushroom Kingdom Princess. "Do you think I could speak to you for a moment, alone?" Lucas flushed slightly, feeling everyone's eyes on him as he nodded.

"Whaddya think they're talking about?" Popo asked, leaning backwards in his chair to watch them as they left. Ness shrugged absentmindedly, following the pair with his eyes. Could Lucas have confided in Peach rather than himself? Why would he do that, unless Ness was the cause of his worries? His stomach churned at the thought, and he pushed his still full plate away.

Meanwhile, Peach ushered Lucas away from the tables, out of earshot of anyone who could potentially be eavesdropping. "D-did I do something wrong, Ms. Peach? I-I'm s—" She kneeled down, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Lucas." He relaxed slightly, letting out a tiny breath. "Master Hand told me… about your mother. It was this week, wasn't it?"

Peach looked so concerned that he suddenly realized what all of her efforts tonight were for. He nodded, glancing at the sunflowers to his left. "I-it's been five years, but…" Lucas sniffled, trying to hold back his tears in public. With a sympathetic, motherly cry, Peach pulled him into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, honey. If you need to talk to someone, I'll be here, okay?" Lucas nodded into her shoulder, then pulled back slightly.

"Thank you, Ms. Peach. But… I'm fine. I think I'm gonna go up to my room to rest," Lucas explained. He wiped a few stray tears from his face, and put on a smile for her. Peach nodded, standing up and ruffling his hair affectionately.

From across the room, Lucas' friends watched Peach escort him to the double doors. "He's leaving?" Toon Link asked. Ness stood up. "Are you leaving too?"

He nodded. "Something's been bothering Lucas for a while now; I need to find out what it is."

"But-I thought we were gonna play video games later?"

"We can hang out tomorrow?" Ness said, already walking away from the table.

"Jeez! You'd think they were dating or something, the way they stick together like that." Nana said nonchalantly, waving her fork in the air. Popo and Toon Link looked at her like she was crazy.

They turned their attention back to Ness, watching as he quickly made his way to the doors, pushing past Bowser. He didn't even stop to flinch when Bowser angrily tried to retaliate; instead he put up a PSI shield causing Bowser to fly back when he attacked. The large Koopa flew backwards, landing on a nearby table and sending food and dishes everywhere.

_Is it my fault that Lucas is upset? _Ness didn't hear Peach shouting after him as he left the dining hall, his thoughts focused solely on his psychic partner.

It wasn't long before he was at their door, his hand hovering just above the handle. He listened for any sounds of movement beyond the door, but heard nothing. Lucas was always good at hiding his tears.

"Lucas!" Ness growled upon throwing the door open. Lucas didn't turn to look at him, sensing the irritation pouring off the older psychic.

"I'm sorry; I don't really feel like talking to you right now."

Ness, who was making his way toward Lucas' bed forcefully, instantly froze. "So it is my fault?"

"…What?" His tone made Lucas turn and look at Ness with in confusion. "I… I might have blamed you, when I first got here. But, well… it's not your fault that Porky got away, right?" Lucas pulled his knees up to his chest and gazed at Ness questioningly.

"Porky? What does Porky have to do with anything?" Both boys stared at each other, unsure of what the other was talking about. "Wait. Lucas, what's bothering you?" He sat down on the edge of Lucas' bed. "And you can't say _nothing_," He added as an afterthought.

"I really don't want to talk about it, Ness," Lucas replied firmly. Though the look in Ness' eyes made him ring his hands nervously in his lap. Ness grabbed his ankles, pulling his legs down so he could easily climb closer to him. "W-what are you doing?" He gasped, cheeks lighting up as Ness settled himself over the other boy.

"But it's not my fault, right? You aren't mad at me?" Lucas' breath hitched as Ness leaned in closer, trying to get any sort of psychic reading from the younger boy. Lucas shook his head, unable to speak as Ness watched him intently.

Ness didn't seem phased by the contact at all! Lucas wanted to frown, to shove him away for unsettling him so much, but the warmth spreading throughout his body wouldn't let him.

"Good, I'm glad. When I thought you might be mad at me, well… I couldn't stand it," A strange feeling settled in the pit of Lucas' stomach and he fleetingly wondered what it was before getting drawn back into the dark depths of Ness' eyes.

"I… I couldn't be mad at you, Ness. No matter what," Lucas said, clasping the other boy's hand between his own with a smile.

Ness was happy that Lucas wasn't mad at him, at least; but he was still concerned with what was bothering Lucas. And then there were these unfamiliar feelings that were making him want to do all sorts of strange things to the boy who was pinned beneath him. "No matter what?" He asked, leaning in a bit.

"Of course," Lucas' stomach fluttered as he subconsciously leaned upward, into Ness' embrace. His eyes drifted shut as Ness' lips settled clumsily over his own. Ness pulled back only a few short seconds later, and Lucas felt instantly emptier.

"…Ness? Why'd you stop?" Lucas was looking up at him through half-lidded eyes expectantly, and Ness grinned back down at him.

"Sorry," He said, his lips returning to the blonde's with a bit more force this time around. Lucas slid his arms around Ness' neck, pulling him closer, and knocking the hat off his head in an attempt to run his hands through Ness' dark hair. Neither boy seemed to care though, as they were too concerned with feeling each other out.

As Ness' hands slid down his sides, running gently over his ribcage, Lucas gasped. Taking the opportunity presented, Ness deepened the kiss, pleased at the mewl of approval that came from his partner.

Somewhere along the way Ness had managed to get Lucas completely flat on his back, and when they pulled apart a second time he sat up, blushing madly. "I-I—Ness," Reality swiftly set in, and he was at a loss of words. Lucas had known for quite a while that he'd developed a bit of a…crush on the older psychic. But to know that Ness had actually felt the same way was a little too much to handle at the moment, and Ness had to place a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Hey, I'm sorry! We don't have to… do that again if you don't want to," Ness reassured the panicked boy. Lucas' eyes softened at the words.

"No, it's not that, really. Ness… I'm happy," He smiled shyly, and Ness felt his heart swell with joy. "I just wasn't expecting it," He explained. "And, well… the anniversary of my mother's death is this week, so I've been kind of out of it…"

"Is that what's been upsetting you?" Lucas nodded, and Ness wrapped his arms around him sympathetically. "I'm sorry Luke… I shouldn't have pushed you so much about it earlier."

"No, no! It's okay, really. I want you to know." Lucas looked determined to tell his story, so the two of them settled into the covers, taking the pillows from Ness' bed and making the area more comfortable. "My mom… she was killed when I was nine. It was a Drago who… killed her; but not a regular one. Porky had been messing with all the animals in the area, turning them into strange chimeras. After that, well… my brother, Claus, went to seek revenge on the Drago," Lucas paused, gazing into the darkness beyond the window.

Ness grasped his hand anxiously, and he could feel bits of Ness' psychic energy mingling with his own through their clasped hands. The feeling calmed him, and he continued with his story. "I… I could have stopped him. If I would have asked him to stay with me… he would've…! B-but he disappeared after that… We didn't see him again for three years, after Porky turned him into some kind of… robotic P-Pigmask general," Lucas looked at Ness, hoping to see something in his expression, but his face was unreadable. "In the end, he died too… Everything Porky did to us… when I showed up here, I couldn't help but blame you."

Ness looked startled at that, and Lucas quickly elaborated. "I knew that Porky was originally from your time period, and that he had escaped after you defeated… Giygas?" Ness nodded. "And I guess I held you responsible for letting Porky get away and causing us so much pain. But I know now—actually, I've known for a while now—that there was nothing you could have done to stop it. I'm sorry, Ness."

They were both silent as Ness soaked up all this new information.

"You know, I'd probably have thought the same way if our situations were reversed," Ness said suddenly. "I don't blame you one bit; though I'm glad that you changed your mind about me," He grinned, kissing Lucas swiftly on the lips.

"N-Ness!" Lucas exclaimed embarrassedly. "What if she's looking down on us right now? W-what would she think?"

"Your mom? I'm sure she's happy, as long as you're happy too. And you are, right?" Pleased at the nod he received as a response, Ness pulled Lucas into his arms. "Then smile for me, Lucas, so your mom and Claus can smile too," He could feel Lucas' soft smile as their lips met once again.

* * *

After playing the Mother series I couldn't help thinking that Lucas might be a little resentful towards Ness, since he let Porky escape and cause so much trouble for poor Lucas. I mean, I'm sure I would… and that's where this story idea was born! I've got another idea for this too, so it'll probably end up being a twoshot. :) Please don't forget to review!


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